Here are a few key points about Ripple's XRP Ledger (XRPL) and its role in cross-chain decentralized finance (DeFi):

- The XRPL is a blockchain created by Ripple to facilitate fast, low-cost cross-border payments and asset exchanges.

- While initially focused on payments between banks and financial institutions, the XRPL has evolved to enable decentralized exchanges and DeFi applications.

- Developers can create tokenized assets on the XRPL and build DeFi platforms leveraging the ledger's speed, low fees, and inherent exchange functionality.

- The XRPL supports cross-chain interoperability bridges that allow assets on the XRPL to be traded with assets on other blockchains like Ethereum.

- This cross-chain capability enables XRPL-based DeFi platforms to plug into the larger multi-chain DeFi ecosystem, providing composability across networks.

- Projects like XRP Toolkit and Liquidity Hub are building cross-chain automated market makers and lending protocols taking advantage of XRPL's attributes for DeFi.

- However, the XRPL remains primarily focused on payments compared to blockchains like Ethereum which have a greater current focus on DeFi applications.

So in summary, while originally built for payments, Ripple's XRPL blockchain is positioning itself as an interoperable platform that can connect to and enhance cross-chain capabilities in the growing DeFi space.